Escaping from Stockholm: top 5 cheap travel destinations

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“To travel is to live,” wrote Hans Christian Andersen in his Autobiography. For many, travel provides a necessary distraction, a sip of fresh air amidst the trouble of everyday life. Nowadays, it seems, travel has become a sort of social currency. Young people no longer brag about who’s got a more expensive car, but rather, who’s seen more of the world…

If you ever decide to boast your vast travel experience, you probably won’t stand a chance against a Swede. Here, it’s all too common to take a gap year to travel the world, go on vacation abroad, or simply backpack, so young people in their twenties have almost certainly been around Europe, somewhere to the US, and even to some of more exotic Asian destinations.

The good news is: if you’re in Sweden, catching up won’t take you long! There are enough cheap flights from Stockholm to book your schedule with travels all year round. RyanAir, WizzAir and Norwegian, the three budget airlines, can take you to almost every corner in Europe – especially to a warm corner, I should say=)

Now, I’m sure you can handle Skyscanner and TripAdvisor, so I’d rather not compete in providing an all-in travel advice. What I can do, though, is share some word-of-mouth: where students typically go, if they want to escape cold Stockholm on a budget. Here are some of the most popular destinations, which would cost you under €100 for a round trip:

Canary Islands, or how to spend your Christmas on the beach.

Yep, it’s tempting to lay on the beach all day, instead of freezing here in Stockholm. If you don’t mind lack of snow on Christmas, here’s a smart alternative to -20 C˚: take a winter ticket to Canary Islands!

Barcelona, or Vicky, Cristina & … you know it!

Another popular winter destination: the city of Golden Coast, Dali and tortillas. Why go in winter? ‘cause tickets are getting prohibitively expensive as summer approaches.

Warsaw, or way to go – Eastern Europe.

To me, it’s just a city halfway home. Probably not a touristic spotlight, it still can serve you well in getting to any place in Eastern Europe. It’s a huge hub for cheap flights and bus routes.

London, or hurry up for an interview!

Well, if you get an interview in one of those glossy City offices, they’re probably paying for you. Otherwise, a flight would cost you less than a Royal Opera ticket.

Pisa, or beware of falling towers!

If you’re in for sun and sea, Italy is a great idea! Milan, Rome or Pisa all have a budget option, so no excuses for not visiting your SSE classmates on exchange in Bocconi!

Enjoy the adventure and let yourself become an explorer for once, not a tourist, for, as Chesterson said, “The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”